Namaqua National Park

Vegetation

The park has been described as typical Namaqualand broken veld with a great variety of smaller succulents, such as Crassula spp., Adromischus spp., Pelargonium spp., stapeliands and Cotyledon spp., as well as annuals and bulbous plants.

It is also described as part of the succulent Karoo biome, dividing the area into the strandveld succulent Karoo, Upland Succulent Karoo, Lowland Succulent Karoo and North-western Mountain Renosterveld (Fynbos Biome). Also see Quartz Patches.

The Namaqualand broken veld merges east into the mountain renosterveld of the hills and mountains of the Kamiesberg Range, part of the fynbos biome. Four of the highest peaks exceed 1 500 m while Rooiberg (south), the highest land surface in Namaqualand, reaches 1 700 m. The Kamiesberg range consists of at least 22 endemic taxa.

Endemics (especially dwarf succulent shrubs) are clustered in broken, rocky habitats rather than sandy or loamy flats. Remaining endemics are likely to be geophyte members of the Iridaceae, Amarylliadaceae and Geraniaceae, also confined to winter rainfall areas. The hills and mountains of the Kamiesberg Range contains 201 endemic centre with 79 endemic species confined to this small area.